About breastfeeding

As soon as your baby feeds at your breast after birth, your mammary glands start to work. One hormone stimulates the preparation of the breast milk, while another causes the food to be released. Your body produces just the right amount of milk, at just the right temperature.

If you want to breastfeed for longer, don’t add any other food to your baby’s diet – even if there are times when your baby won't drink properly and you worry that it's not getting enough food. Your baby knows exactly when and how much breast milk it needs to grow big and strong. And the mammary glands in your breasts react immediately. By the third day at the latest, your breasts will produce less milk. And the same also applies to the opposite scenario. When your baby gets bigger and wants more milk, the quantity is increased accordingly. As your baby sucks harder and more frequently on your breast, your mammary glands produce more milk to meet the increased demand.

Things you should always remember when breastfeeding: Your baby drinks what goes into your body. Alcohol, cigarettes, medication. You should therefore avoid anything which could damage your health – especially diets which cause toxins stored in your body to enter the breast milk. Allow yourself to eat as much as you like. You should make sure you eat a varied and healthy diet, consisting of lots of fruit and vegetables, as well as dairy products, eggs, meat and fish. But be prepared: Even healthy food can have unpleasant side effects. Oranges cause some babies to develop sore bottoms and garlic, pulses, cabbage and even wholemeal can sometimes cause severe flatulence.

The NUK team of experts will be on hand to answer your questions on the topic in the video consultation.